Three Areas You Can Focus on When Teaching Your Kids About Keeping Their Teeth Clean

By: Jeffery Williams, Guest Blogger from Oradyne

We tend to have a one-track mind when it comes to oral health: keep those teeth clean. The reality is that oral health can be about far more than combating cavities.

And I’m not even talking about gum health, bad breath or braces. I’m talking about bigger issues. Dental care is one of the earliest consistent routines that we teach our kids and often times that goes unnoticed. If you take a step back, you’ll realize that encouraging your kids to regularly brush, floss and rinse will set them up for success in the future. Below are three major areas you can focus on when teaching your kids about keeping their teeth clean.

Consistency

The idea of working on something little by little every day is something that’s difficult for kids to grasp. Studies show that almost 95% of college kids procrastinate on homework and studying for exams. These issues can be crushed early on if handled properly.

Take the opportunity after your child’s next dentist appointment (whether it’s good or bad) and talk about what the dentist had to say. Reinforce the idea of regularly working toward a goal every day and help your child understand how living a consistent lifestyle can be beneficial.

Long Term Results

Understanding the benefit of long-term commitment is another area that many kids struggle with, regardless of age. When most school projects have a timeline of days or weeks, it can be difficult for a growing child to get experience working toward a goal over a longer period of time.

Sit down with your child and create one, three and six month goals for their teeth and oral health. Make sure they continue to work toward them and give them proper credit when they complete. Completing a goal they’ve been working toward for half a year can be pretty a powerful and impactful experience for your child.

Realistic Expectations

With movie stars and super models across the news, magazines and Internet, it can be difficult for kids to understand what normal human bodies are supposed to look like. This can spiral into a myriad of self-confidence issues in later years which can take an eternity for them to deal with.

While everyone on TV seems to have blisteringly white teeth, the fact of the matter is that healthy teeth can be many different shades of color, including yellow. It’s perfectly acceptable if their teeth aren’t perfectly white, and it’s important they know that. Sit down with your child and use their oral care to help them understand what’s realistic and what isn’t.

Wrap Up

Whether it’s consistency, understanding long-term results or figuring out what’s normal in our world, your child’s oral health is a fantastic tool to teach them about more than toothbrushes and toothpaste. Make sure to sit down with your child and discuss some of these issues early-on. They’ll thank you for it later.

Since October is National Dental Hygiene Month, download this poster and start the conversation with your family.

About the Author: Purveyor of clean teeth, healthy gums and super smiles, Jeffery Williams is a tried and true oral health expert. When he’s not researching and writing articles for his website, Oradyne.net, he’s out conquering the northern forests of Washington State with his wife Violet.  Download his free Oral Health e-book to change the way you care for your teeth and improve your smile for life. Follow Oradyne on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.